The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
50°F
Current Conditions
Overcast clouds
View complete weather report
Subscribe now
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan

Current Position: sports writer

Jim Meehan joined The Spokesman-Review in 1990. Jim is currently a reporter for the Sports Desk and covers Gonzaga University basketball, Spokane Empire football, college volleyball and golf.

Email
jimm@spokesman.com
Phone
(509) 459-5585

All Stories

Sports

Shadle Park’s Weitz, North Central’s Knight break Lindgren Mile records

All records are worth savoring, and some are even sweeter. With Spokane’s rich tradition of success in distance races and cross country, records can be hard to come by. And that’s one of the reasons Shadle Park’s Nathan Weitz and North Central’s Katie Knight were smiling after they shattered records in the Lindgren Mile, named after former Rogers star Gary Lindgren, at the sun-kissed Mooberry Relays Saturday at Whitworth University.
Sports

Schedule becomes tougher for desperate Shock

Spokane has struggled during a 1-4 start and the Arena Football League schedule-maker isn’t making it easy to rebound. The Shock tote a 0-3 road record across the country to face Orlando (4-1) tonight at the new Amway Center. The second-ranked Predators’ only loss came to No. 1 Arizona. Orlando led 21-0 early, but the Rattlers pulled out a 48-47 win with a touchdown and two-point conversion with 8 seconds left. Spokane entertains West Division rival Arizona (5-0) next week.
Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

Gonzaga grants transfer request of forward Manny Arop

Manny Arop, a valuable reserve as a freshman whose playing time dwindled over the second half of his sophomore season, has been granted a release from the Gonzaga men’s basketball team. Arop is expected to continue his career at another school. Under NCAA rules, the 6-foot-6 wing would have to sit out one season if he transfers to a Division I school.
Sports >  Spokane Shock

Spokane Shock on wrong end of fine line

For the third time this season, the Spokane Shock found themselves a play or two away from winning an Arena Football League game. The latest example was Utah, which scored on its first 10 possessions and made two second-quarter defensive stops hold up for a 69-62 win over the Shock last Friday. It was another example of the fine line between winning and losing. The Shock mastered that balancing act in the franchise’s first five years but they’ve lost their touch with a 1-4 start this season, three of those losses by a touchdown or less.
Sports

Stangel stellar in LC victory

Lake City High sophomore Casey Stangel pitched a three-hit shutout, lined a two-run double and launched a no-doubt, two-run home run. So which of those highlights was the best part of the visiting Timberwolves’ 9-0 Inland Empire League 5A softball rout of rival Coeur d’Alene on Tuesday? None of the above, Stangel said.
Sports

Spokane Shock will encounter familiar faces against Utah

Every Arena Football League game involving Spokane seemingly presents a Shock vs. ex-Shock angle, whether it’s players or coaches. Tonight, it’s both. Spokane returns from a bye week to face Utah, which has four former Spokane players and ex-Shock offensive coordinator Matt Sauk, at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City. Spokane will face an Arizona squad with five former Shock players twice later this season.
Sports

Resolute Vijil

Raul Vijil didn’t want the last image of his arena football career to be of him hobbling off the field with a serious knee injury in Milwaukee last June. He knew there would be some who doubted his chances of coming back from a torn ACL and damaged MCL, especially when he set his target date as the opening of Spokane Shock training camp on Feb. 19. That was less than six months after the Sept. 1 surgery to repair his ACL.
Sports

Lake City’s Stangel zeroes out softball opponents

Thirty-eight innings, 38 zeroes for Lake City High softball opponents. The Timberwolves have opened the season with six straight shutouts authored by sophomore pitcher Casey Stangel, including wins over Inland Empire League 5A rivals Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls last week. She limited Coeur d’Alene to two hits and then struck out 17 in the win over the Trojans despite dealing with an upset stomach.
Sports

Eagles off and flying in GNL

West Valley High softball coach Paul Cooley likes everything about his team’s impressive start, but he knows the meat of the Great Northern League schedule remains. The Eagles’ pitching, hitting and defense have been exemplary. They’ve outscored foes 65-3 in six wins.
Sports

Shock make no doubt about it

The Spokane Shock didn’t waste any time putting an end to the longest losing streak in franchise history. They scored on their first play from scrimmage. They scored on their first 10 possessions. Their defense forced two turnovers and made six stops. The result was a 61-34 Arena Football League rout of Kansas City in front of 9,172 Friday at the Arena.
Sports

Shock pick up first win of season

The Spokane Shock didn’t waste any time putting an end to the longest losing streak in franchise history. The defense made four first-half stops and quarterback Kyle Rowley put his name at the top of a couple of career records as Spokane cruised to a 61-34 Arena Football League victory in front of 9,172 Friday at the Arena.
Sports

Shock attempt to crack winning column by cutting down mistakes

Indoor, outdoor, 8-man, junior tackle, prep, college, pro. At every level of football, committing turnovers and penalties usually equates to losses. That’s been the story so far of the 2011 Spokane Shock. They’ve committed 33 penalties – only New Orleans has more (34) – for a league-high 248 yards. They’ve turned the ball over nine times – only Philadelphia has more (10). Those are the primary reasons they’re 0-3 entering tonight’s home date with Kansas City (0-2) in a matchup of two of the five winless Arena Football League teams.
Sports

Former Shock receiver Andy Olson serves as offensive coordinator

Andy Olson knows that life and football games can change in a hurry. Ten days ago, Olson was living in Bellingham with his wife and their two young children. Then Spokane Shock head coach Rob Keefe, who had fired offensive coordinator Fred Biletnikoff Jr. earlier that day, called with a job offer.
Sports

U-Hi, Mead tangle

There’s usually something on the line when Mead and University collide on the softball field. That will be the case again when the teams meet at Mead today at 4 p.m., weather permitting. Mead, last year’s Greater Spokane League regular-season champion, and U-Hi, last year’s district champion, are off to 2-0 league starts.
Sports >  Spokane Shock

Shock go after first win

Spokane head coach Rob Keefe knows that many are questioning his team and his tactics after an 0-2 Arena Football League start and his abrupt dismissal of offensive coordinator Fred Biletnikoff Jr. earlier this week.
Sports

Shock part ways with Biletnikoff Jr.

Spokane fired assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Fred Biletnikoff Jr. on Sunday, one day after the Shock lost their Arena Football League home opener to Cleveland and dropped to 0-2 on the season. Biletnikoff was just two games into his first season with the Shock.